Adultry
by The Cabbage man's legacy
Summary: Love is supposed to last forever but when Sakura Uchiha meets Naruto Uzumaki she begins to wonder whether that is truly the case. Saku/Sasu Naru/Saku
1. The run

Every time it's the same, he'll kiss me on the cheek with his soft lips and I'll tell him 'have a safe journey' just like any good wife should, all the while on the inside cursing him for leaving me alone. When we got married it was because I wanted to spend all my time with Sasuke but in the end we've just ended up spending even more time apart.

I smiled, softly as I watched him get into the shiny black cab, and waved goodbye to him as the car began to drive off. For a few moments I even watched the car as it travelled down the road, it became smaller and smaller; turned a corner- and then it disappeared- he was gone.

Sighing, I headed back inside the house and began doing what I always did when Sasuke went on his trips; I began cleaning. That's how empty my life is without Sasuke. All I have to do when he's not around is to kill time with running errands, going on jogs round the park, visiting the gym and going to Karate club once a week.

I don't have a job because Sasuke said I shouldn't have to work when he's earning such a high salary, and since we moved to this excessively big house I haven't been able to keep in contact with most of my friends as they now live so far away. Excluding Sasuke, my social life is non-existent.

If I wanted to I could call one of my friends but I'm sure that in the end I'd probably feel worse rather than better. They all have lives far more interesting than my own with jobs and ambitions which I just can't relate to anymore. For me I already feel like I've reached my life's destination, while for them it's something invisible that they're still struggling towards.

The rest of my life has already been decided and in some ways I'm very sad about that but in others I'm glad. At least now I don't have to be afraid for my future; I have…security. And I have Sasuke which is great when he's around. Everything's always wonderful when he's here and I know that he misses me on his trips. He doesn't choose to go; he has to, but even knowing that I feel irrationally bitter.

I closed the lid on the stinking rubbish bin then went back inside to wash my hands. Now that I'd finished cleaning I wondered what I could do with the rest of my time. After all, I now had three and a half weeks to myself; it was one of his longest trips yet and it kind of made me wish that I'd been more messy while he was still around.

I decided then to go for a jog in the park; it was sunny outside that day, so it seemed like a good idea and I couldn't go to the gym that day since it was always closed on a Sunday. I quickly changed, dropped my rings in their box so they didn't get grimy while I was running, and grabbed my sweatshirt and my mobile-just encase Sasuke called.

About half an hour later, I was jogging around the park circuit; the reason it had taken me so long to get there was because I'd walked instead of driving in another of my attempts to make time pass more quickly.

I raced around the park quickly lapping nearly all the other joggers as I ran to the 'wonderful' repetitive sound of 'Coldplay'. With only one person left in front of me; I sped up, and it was only a few moments later that I was then in front of him too. Running ahead of everyone else I felt a strange sense of achievement, happy that at least there was one thing in life that I could still excel at. But my feelings of content were stolen from me as the man I'd just passed suddenly appeared to be in front of me.

There he was, some random guy running further and further away from me, taking away from me one of the few pleasures that kept me going when I was alone. I didn't know him and I probably never would, but I did know one thing; there was no way I'd ever let him outrun me!

Pushing my legs forwards; I propelled myself into a position right by his side, just a few strides more and I'll have won! That's what I thought, until I realised just how persistent the guy was. Frustrated; I began to run without restraint and sprinted as fast as I could as I struggled to get away from him but bastard didn't let up and for a couple of minutes we just ran, full throttle, until we were both to damn tired that we collapsed, almost simultaneously.

I was panting hard as my palms pressed deep into the muddy grass, wheezing pathetically, as I tried to regain some composure. I couldn't believe how riled up I'd gotten over this stupid unofficial race. Yet still, even though I knew it was stupid, I had to know which one of us had won.

"Who won?" I gasped as I forced myself into an upright position "Who stopped first?" I pleaded, strangely desperate to know.

He stood up and offered one of his to me "You won, I didn't stand a chance; not when you were running all out like that" he said, surprising me when he suddenly yanked me onto my feet when he pulled on my arm.

"Yeah I'm sorry about going so crazy like that…" I muttered, feeling my cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

"What are you taking about?" he asked, surprise evident in his clear blue eyes "I was just happy to race against you"

"I guess it was kind of exhilarating" I murmured, hoping he wouldn't think I was weird.

"Yeah it was er…-"

"Sakura Haruno" I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

"Naruto Uzumaki" he told me before I could correct myself.

He held out his hand and I shook it; while feeling a little surprised by the sudden formality.

"You have a really firm handshake Sakura-chan" he told me as he let go, I smiled back, not sure as to whether I should take it as an insult or a compliment.

"Thanks Naruto…" I said, still feeling unsure where exactly I stood with this perpetual stranger.

"Hey! How about we go sit over there?" he asked as he gestured towards an unoccupied bench. Not wanting to be rude I followed him.

Once we were sat down again he asked me "Do you come here often? To run I mean"

'I come practically everyday' I almost told him but I realised I didn't want him to thin of me as some kind of Sado "I come a couple time a week"

"Really?" he asked me, sounding strangely excited "Then maybe we meet over here again? Have a rematch or something; it kind of hurt my pride a little to be beaten by a girl" he said; rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh, well we could swap phone numbers if you'd like" I offered without thinking- something I seem to have been doing a lot in this conversation.

He dug his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his phone; fumbling, I also took out my mobile.

"My numbers 01483 86 10 20" I told him, deciding I should just go through with it since I was the one who'd idiotically suggested it. Besides, when you don't have a job; the chance to make new friends doesn't occur very often.

My mobile then made a little beeping in noise as he sent me a text message and I added the number that came along with it.

"So are you doing anything special for lunch today?" I asked him, thinking I might as well take the leap forward and just go ahead now that we'd exchanged our numbers.

He glanced at his wristwatch "I already ate; really right now I should be heading home for a quick shower so I don't stink for work. Why'd you ask?"

"No reason at all…I was just wondering" I said, trying my best to sound nonchalant. "But you know I should be going too so um" I struggled to find the words as I tried to get out of there; it had been a long time since I'd been so mercilessly blown off. After all it was a Sunday and who the hell as a job where their lunch break is so long that they have time to go for a run and then have a shower?

"Yeah I understand, bye Sakura-chan" he said waving.

"Uh yeah bye…" I muttered as I began to briskly walk away, eager to get away from him.

"I'll call you some time, okay?" he yelled after me, causing me to walk even faster, I couldn't believe how far the guy was going just to keep up stupid bloody pretences.

That's right, I was angry with this guy I barely knew but I was also glad because of what he stopped me from doing. I hadn't it till just now but as I stood with that random stranger Sasuke and all the waiting seemed very far away; like they didn't exist anymore and then before I knew it I was saying that Haruno was my surname; like I was 22 all over again.

Whatever, it doesn't matter now; I'll never see him again so t doesn't matter now. It really doesn't. It doesn't matter at all that I was about to ask that complete stranger out.

A/N: I might do some editing later. Comment on this if you can.


	2. The park

It had been 6 days since Sasuke's departure when I received that phone call- 6 days of seemingly never ending boredom. Normally, by this point, Sasuke would have at least called once to check up on me. So can you blame me for spending most of my day just sitting on the sofa, watching TV, so I didn't have to feel at risk of missing one of his calls?

So when I finally heard my mobile ring; I, of course, frantically reached for it, stretching out my arm to grab it off of the coffee table.

"Hello?" I asked, fervently hoping that I would hear Sasuke's silky voce on the other side.

"Hey Sakura-chan, its Naruto from the other day" came the disapointing sound of a mostly unfamiliar voice.

"You mean Naruto Uzumaki; the guy who lost to a girl in a race? That Uzumaki?" I asked, almost playfully, with the vague hope that I wasn't coming off as rude.

"That would be me" he chuckled "I'm almost a little sorry that you still remember that pathetic performance of mine"

"Well I can't really blame you for losing, you were up against a pro" I joked- still feeling a little awkward "So what do you want Uzumaki?" I asked curtly.

"Well I know it's a Saturday today, so it's unlikely that you'll be free, but I was wondering if you'd like to meet me in the park for a run or something"

"You just want to meet in the park?" I asked, feeling a little baffled; was that normal? Didn't most people invite out potential friends to the movies or to have coffee? Or maybe that was the old school way of doing it; I haven't made a new friend in such a long time.

"Yeah, just the park-why?"

"What time do you want to meet up?" I asked, brushing off his last comment as I realised that I was still wearing my pyjamas; I'd need time to get ready.

"So you're free then?" he asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"Yes I am, so what time do you want to meet?"

"Is 2pm good for you?"

"Yeah its fine; I'll meet you then"

"Okay then, I'll see you later Sakura-chan" and with that he hung up, living me only with a strong feeling of disbelief. I guess it just felt weird to be going out with someone else other than Sasuke.

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It wasn't until I was sitting on a park bench, an hour later, after a short run that I actually started considering what I'd gotten myself into. Here I was, about to meet with a total stranger who I knew nothing about. As I repeated that phrase in my head, what I was about to do began to seem more and more senseless. Besides; I suck at getting along with people. The fact that I haven't made even one new friend in the last year is proof of that.

Seeing Naruto approaching I realised it was just a little too late to be having doubts "hey Sakura-chan" he greeted me cheerfully as he sat down next to me.

"Hey Uzumaki" I replied.

"So how are you today Sakura-chan?"

"I'm okay" I answered automatically; realising too late that I'd just brushed off an opportunity for us to start up a conversation "What about you Uzumaki, how are you doing?" I asked, trying to salvage the conversation from, what seemed like, the depths of the ocean.

"I'm doing pretty well. I just moved into the area so it's been a little difficult; getting all my stuff in order and everything as well as settling down in my new job but I've been getting to know people and I think I'm on my way to at least making one new friend" he said smiling as he looked across at me.

"So when did you move here?" I asked him.

"Just two weeks ago so I don't really know this place very well yet, I was actually kind of hoping that you'd give me a few pointers as to some of the attractions around here actually" he said, almost nervously as he scratched the back of is head.

"Well I could tell you about a couple of good places I've been to…There's the Tora dora restaurant which serves the most mouth watering salmon, the Bakuman which is famous for the beautiful illustrations that decorate the theatre wall, or there's the…" seeing the glazed off look of Naruto's face I stopped "Sorry, do you not like those sort of places?"

"No I'm sure I would like them Sakura" he said insistently, seeming to be afraid that he'd offended me "It's just that I doubt I'd be able to…afford any of those sorts of places…" what he was saying made sense, I was too used (whenever Sasuke was around) going to fancy places. It has been quite a while since I've had to worry about normal things like the shortage of money. I guess that after all this time I have ended up pretty spoilt.

"But I'd love to know about any Ramen stalls in the area" he said brightly, awakening me from my self-pitying slump. Feeling the sudden urge to make up for my previous social blunder I felt at loss as I realised I didn't really know where he kind find even one of those…whatever they were.

"Er what is Ramen?" and I will swear on my life that when I asked him that question his jaw literally dropped out of his mouth.

"Sakura-chan, you are joking. Right?!" he asked me, sounding surprisingly serious.

"I'm not, I honestly don't know what this Ramon stuff is, is it some kind of curry or something?" I asked, genuinely curious about it now as I watched his face slowly fill with horror.

"It's Ramen Sakura-chan" he said sternly.

"Sorry Naruto, I'll try to remember that" I muttered as I pushed my hands in front of my mouth in a vain attempt at stopping myself from exploding in a fit of laughter.

"Sakura-chan" he announced dramatically, his head still shaking with mild disgust "I can not let this blasphemy go on any longer! As soon as I find a Ramen stall you are going to try some Ramen with me!" he said sounding determined, though he still looked a little doubtful as he turned to me and muttered "Right?"

"Right" I agreed as I tried to stifle another oncoming giggle.

"That's right but before that I have to explain to you what makes Ramen so great"

"So basically ramen is soup with noodles" I stated, barely having managed to extract this information from the very long winder and elaborate explanation Naruto had just given me.

"No Sakura-chan Ramen is much more that it's-"

"Heaven in a bowl" I finished for him "I get it"

He leaned back on the bench with a pout on his face, his hands folded behind his head "You just aren't taking this seriously are you Sakura-chan?"

"You just figured that out now Naruto? God you're even slower than I thought" I said smiling as I watched the last few joggers running round the park- the last few? For a moment I had to wonder what sort of time it was.

"You know you're pretty mean Sakura-chan" he said sighing as he put his face into the palms of his hands.

"Yeah well it's hard not to be when you're spending time with such a childish person" I laughed aloud as I thought about all his ramen related antics throughout afternoon "Anyway Naruto, you better promise to call me when you find that ramen stand, and after all you talk it better taste good too"

"Oh it will" he said firmly, turning look at me with a grin "If there's one thing I know about its ramen, if you go out with me you won't be disappointed!" he proclaimed to me assuredly, not seeming to realise what he'd actually just told me, what he'd actually just said…

"The way you get so powered up over everything like that is just stupid for someone your age" I muttered as I tried to get his previous words right out of my head. 'He's an idiot' I told myself, 'he didn't realise what he was saying'. But whether that was true or not didn't change the fact that his words had made my face turn bright red; I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for him.

"I don't know Sakura-chan" he said quietly, his head now turned away from me "After all, what is the point in life if you can't even get enthusiastic about it?" he asked solemnly.

For a moment, we just watched the last few remaining people who were left at the park and sat in silence as we listened to the wind whistle through the trees. I didn't know what to say to that but I did know one thing. I didn't like the way I was being pitied.

"You know Uzumaki you're not going to make any friends with an attitude like that" I murmured as I watched him, his back still facing me.

"I guess I won't, will I Sakura-chan? But I guess it's just too bad for you that you already promised to come eat ramen with me" he smirked; already he had a new mischievous grin planted on his face.

"I don't remember promising anything like that, I think I only said that you should give me a call if you found a ramen stall, I didn't say anything about actually going with you"

"Then I guess I'll just I have hope you say yes when I call then Sakura-chan" he said smiling.

"I guess so…" I agreed thoughtfully.

"Well the sun's is setting now so I sort of have to go now…" he muttered awkwardly as he looked up at the sky.

I looked up with as I wondered how so much time had passed so quickly… I would definitely have to meet with him again; he'd be useful for taking up time until Sasuke comes back.

"Why do you have to go?" I asked him without thinking "Do you turn into some sort of creature at night?"

"No, I turn into a worker" he told me as he got up from his seat.

I got up as well "So you mean you've got to go to work?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm new; so for now they've got me working all the late night shifts unfrotunately..."

"Ok, well bye then Uzumaki" I muttered; with the understanding that he was in a hurry.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan" he said waving goodbye.

And with that we both walked home, or maybe to work in his case. As I walked down the darkening streets I began to feel a strange sense of loss fill my chest; it took me a couple of seconds to finally realise that the feeling was just the usual ache of loneliness that for just a few hours had gone amiss. And as I felt my feet press down on the pavement I began to wonder whether making a new friend would really be worth it at all. After all I already have one source of pain, so why should I go out of my way to make another one?

_A/N: Self proof-read, point out my mistakes, feedback always appreciated, please review, blah blah blah_


	3. The dream

Naruto called me 3 days ago to arrange a time to meet at a ramen stall that he had found out about. He'd told me what street to meet him on and what time I should be there- he also told me to bring my own money; so I guess I'll be paying for myself.

In fact I was just about to leave when my mobile started ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, wondering who could possibly be calling me at such an inconvenient time.

"Hey Sakura, it's me" he replied with a soft and smooth enticing voice; for a moment I was breathless as I took in the wonderful sound of my husbands voice.

"Sasuke, how's work going?" I asked him, eager to get him to elaborate so I could hear more of his spine tingling words.

"Everything is going perfectly Sakura; I should be home by Monday" Monday…But didn't he know that for me that would mean another 5 days without him?

"That sounds great" I told him cheerily, trying not to let it show that so much time seemed daunting.

"So are you doing fine on your own Sakura?" he asked me, just as he always did whenever he bothered to call.

"Yes, everything's fine Sasuke" I lied as usual, trying my best to prevent my voice from faltering.

"You're not lonely are you?"

"Of course not; I'm actually getting ready to go out with a new friend of mine" I said, my voice cracking a little at the end.

"I've got to go now Sakura, I have a meeting" and then he hung up; without even giving me a chance to say goodbye.

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Half an hour later, I was standing at the street Naruto had directed me to; wondering whether this Ramen stall of his served drinks. I hadn't really wanted to show up after my conversation with Sasuke but I did anyway out of stubbornness; this person felt like my last chance to get myself a life and there is no way that I am going to screw this up.

It was cold outside and the street was unusually devoid of any people. This was probably because most of the shops were closed and there didn't seem to be any restaurants in sight; as I looked around it made me wonder where the ramen stall actually is.

Seeing a dark figure approaching me, I tensed up, only to be relieved when I saw that Naruto was finally here.

"What took you so long?" I asked him as I rubbed my hands together to ward off the cold.

"Yeah I'm sorry about that Sakura-chan" he said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now, just take me to this ramen place of yours" I said irritated.

"Of course" he said smiling; grabbing my hand he led me across the road towards a small wooden looking structure. It glowed; yellow as light emitted from it, while curtain prevented me from seeing what was inside.

"Naruto? We aren't seriously going in there…Are we?" I asked him nervously; clinging on tighter to his hand as we got closer and closer to the makeshift building.

But he didn't say anything to me; he just pulled me inside of the curtain with his strong hand.

As soon as I entered the ramen stall I felt a wave of heat hit me; almost making me stagger as I stepped inside. I followed Naruto's lead and sat down on one of the chairs, glad to see that no one else was sitting there besides us. I'd never been in one of these kinds of places before, so I couldn't help but remember how shifty my mother had always said these places were supposed to be…

"Hey Sakura-chan? Do you want me to order for you?" Naruto asked, waking me up from my panic "You've never had ramen before so that would probably be better"

"Yeah, just order for me"

It took him only a few moments of talk with the chef before his focus was then back on me; "Sakura-chan, you don't need to be so nervous" he said reassuringly "this food is going to taste great!"

"He's got that right" said the stall owner as he handed us two steaming hot bowls of noodles-we then both paid him for our food and he seemingly disappeared.

Picking up my chopsticks, I picked up some noodles and felt a pleasurable warmth instantly spread throughout my body as soon as the ramen entered my stomach; making me release an, uncontrollable, contented sigh.

"I told you it was good" Naruto grinned.

"It's okay I guess but actually I was hoping to find out more about you today Uzumaki" I said, understanding that the conversation would never move along unless I said anything.

He looked bemused at my question "what do you mean by that Sakura-chan?"

"Like…Erm, what do you do for a living?" I asked, curious after his talk of late night shifts the other day.

"I don't do anything special; I just work as a driver for this posh business company- they don't pay much, and the work is pretty boring but the passengers always have interesting conversations"

"A driver huh…" I wondered aloud, what a nice and simple thing to be doing; I bet he never has to travel for his work…

That's what I was thinking but for some reason, that I don't really understand, he suddenly got all defensive "No wait Sakura-chan! I wouldn't want you to misunderstand that that's all that I want to do with my life… I just thought a job like this would be a good way of making contacts for when I've saved up enough to make my dream come true"

"And what is your dream?" I asked, finding t strange to be hearing an adult talking about dreams.

Now he was scratching the back of his head again, obviously embarrassed "Well whenever I drive people around I always hear politicians saying horrible things that I know would be no good for our country…

"I'd like to become a politician myself so I could sort out all those rotten men personally" he looked serious in his declaration so I didn't dare laugh.

"You know they say there's no such thing as an honest politician, they're all scumbags. A person like you would be wasted on them Naruto" I muttered as I finished off the remnants of ramen left in my bowl.

"Yeah but it wouldn't be for them, would it Sakura-chan? It would be for ordinary people like me and you" despite that what he was saying was very corny I did understand what he was saying.

"What about you Sakura? What are you doing?" he asked me, oblivious to how uncomfortable he was making me feel.

"I don't do anything Naruto" I said, hoping that if I was casual that my words would just slip by "I'm not allowed to work because of my family" I muttered quickly, wondering if he now saw be as some spoilt snobbish brat.

But instead he asked me "Why don't they let you work?"

"Well they say that I shouldn't have to work when they earn so much" I told him angrily.

"That's a really stupid reason though… I'd be bored out of my mind if I couldn't do any work" he sympathised, making me feel so much better as he agreed with me.

"That's what I told them but no matter how much I argued they wouldn't listen to me…" I complained; suddenly I felt a great amount of surprise as I realised how relieved I felt to be complaining to someone about this, to be sharing my feelings of resentment with someone else.

"Do you know what you should do about this Sakura-chan?"

"What should I do about it Naruto?"

"You should talk to them about them about this" he said firmly as he looked into my eyes "I don't know your family but I'm sure that if you speak with them they'll at least meet you half-way and if they don't agree then you should just get a job anyway!" he said grinning toothily "It's not like they'd have a way of knowing"

I sighed "That's the problem Naruto they would know; and I wouldn't want to lie to them anyway"

"Well I don't see why you should care what they think if what they're doing is making you so unhappy!" he murmured, sounding strangely frustrated.

"As I said Naruto, you don't really understand the situation. Besides it means I have more time for my hobbies like my drawings…" I answered pathetically as I thought of how miserable I always feel when Sasuke's away.

"Are you interested in art Sakura-chan?" he asked.

"Yeah I am…" I told him as I glanced at my watch and saw that it was quarter to nine "But I don't really think we have the time to talk about that right now…It's getting late…" I muttered.

"Oh sorry Sakura-chan, I guess we should be going now" we both got up from our seats and left the little ramen stall and we both stood outside for a moment in the cold as I stared worriedly in the direction of home.

After a few moments of silence I finally mustered up the courage to say it "Are you going to walk me home or not Uzumaki? You aren't seriously going to let a woman walk home alone at night are you?"

"I guess I would be a pretty bad excuse for a guy if I did that" he said grinning happily as he scampered to my side.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked, a little perturbed by his inane grin.

"I don't think it matters" he said, still smiling "But it's nice to know that you trust me enough to let me know where you live"

"Say anymore stuff like that Naruto and I might rethink things" I said, stubbornly avoiding the fact that I was glad he'd agreed to accompany me. Without him I probably would have been too afraid to walk home on my own in the dark.

For a while we walked in silence but it didn't last long as Naruto soon started speaking again.

"So Sakura, what is your dream?" he asked me as he looked up at the stars.

Feeling a little baffled by his question I told him the truth "I don't have a dream, I think those sorts of things are just for children"

"Really? Then isn't there anything that you really want or wish for?" he asked, wrapping his left arm around my shoulder, making me somehow feel more secure.

"Yes there is"

"What is it?"

I laughed out loud as I thought about how childish and simple it sounded "there's no way I'm going to tell you, it's really stupid"

"Come on Sakura-chan, just tell me!" he whined, making me decide to just give in.

"I don't want to be lonely anymore" I told him quietly as tears pricked at my eyes "It's a bit much to ask and maybe I'm being selfish by saying this but I…I never want to be lonely again" Naruto pulled me closer to him with his arm as we walked and ruffled up my hair with his free hand.

"I don't think it's selfish at all, I don't think anyone deserves to feel lonely, least of all you Sakura" I glanced at him as I noticed the loss of the suffix but I didn't say anything; I couldn't, not when I'd lied to him by never telling him about Sasuke.

"You say some nice things sometimes Naruto" I muttered as we walked along the street "I bet you'd make a great politician.

"Now I don't know whether I should take that as an insult or a compliment" he laughed "You can say some mean things sometimes Sakura-chan" I frowned at the reappearance of the suffix.

"And so can you Uzumaki"

It took us a while to actually get home but we managed it eventually- though Naruto did make a huge fuss about the size of the house.

"Do you seriously live in there all by yourself?" he asked, triggering another automatic lie again.

"I do, I was joking when I said my parents earn enough to keep me afloat"

"I can see that… This looks like one of those huge houses all the business men I drop off always live in…" he said despondently as he continued to look up at the building in awe.

"Hey Naruto, would you cut that out?" I asked as I waved my hand in front of his face "I do actually need to get inside of my house eventually"

"Oh right, sorry Sakura-chan" he muttered as he stepped away from the front door.

After unlocking the front door I turned to Naruto to say goodbye but I couldn't help but feel as though that wouldn't be enough.

"So we'll meet up again sometime soon then?" he asked.

"Yeah definitely, I'll give you a call tomorrow"

"Well goodnight Sakura-chan"

"Yeah good night Naruto" I said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek "I'll probably see you tomorrow" I mumbled before turning around and rushing inside; too embarrassed to face up to my involuntary behaviour and too confused as to why my cheeks felt like they were burning red.

A/N: Please review ^_^


	4. The silly night

Sasuke sent me a text today. I guess I should probably feel lucky, after all he hardly ever bothers to contact me, but I don't; instead I feel incredibly pissed off. You see, apparently Sasuke's trip is going to take a few days longer than he first anticipated and he couldn't even be bothered to talk to me directly about it! Of course I shouldn't be surprised, I mean it happens all the time and every time he decides to go on one of these 'work' trips.

Something more important always comes up, something that's more important than me.

I stared into the broken glass mirror of the public restroom as I desperately tried to fix my makeup; which had been turned into a goopy river thanks to all my angry tears. Sighing, I wiped it all off with a tissue, hoping that my red eyes wouldn't be too much of a give away when I met up later with Naruto.

He called me, earlier today, something that seems to have become a habit of his; asking me if I wanted to come over to his place. It had seemed like a bad idea at first considering how he's a guy and I'm not; so I'd refused but after receiving Sasuke's pathetic little message; I'd been more than eager to give Naruto a visit. He's a nice guy and right now I definitely need some cheering up.

Once I'd arrived at Naruto's building I'd found it very difficult to actually get inside. The buzzer wasn't working- causing me to erupt into a volley of curses- meaning that I had to wait for about half an hour for someone from inside to exit the building. A broken lift and, what felt like, a million steps later, I finally found myself outside of his front door.

After a few violent knocks on the door from me, Naruto appeared, looking tired but pleased to see me.

"Sakura-chan" he yawned as he glanced at his watch which only read half past seven "You took so long, I was afraid you weren't going to come" he murmured sleepily, stepping aside to let me in.

"Well the buzzer wasn't working, so it took me a while to get in" I muttered, deciding not to mention my long detour in the bathroom.

"Oops, sorry about that" he said as he grabbed a can of cola from his fridge-which was located in his living room funnily enough, "I meant to come down there and get you but I-"

"But you forgot" I said, stating the obvious as I finished his sentence.

For a while I didn't say anything as I looked around Naruto's small, dingy apartment; soaking in the nostalgia.

His apartment was a mess. Empty ramen cups were scattered across the floor, items of clothing leaving a trail towards, the closed, door of his bedroom. Empty cups and bowls seemed to dominate the floor space, making it difficult to know where to step.

He looked up from his seat on his sofa; I could already see the stuffing poking out in several places.

"Naruto, you're place is a tip" I exclaimed, unable to understand how he could let the place get into such a state.

"Well if it bothers you so much I wouldn't mind if you cleaned it up for me Sakura-chan" he grinned cheekily from his position on the sofa.

I frowned grumpily, kicking off my shoes before joining him on the sofa.

"So I guess the way I decorate isn't exactly what you're used to, huh, Sakura-chan?" he asked, amused. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling to be treated as though I was from some higher class.

"Please, you could at least make sure to keep the place tidy" I resorted, only to have Naruto reply with a tired smile.

"I guess I should try to put in a little more effort" he said, leaning his arms against the back of his head as he fell back into the sofa.

Turning his head in my direction, he asked "So are you okay Sakura"

I blinked as I struggled to find the right answer, so instead I replied slyly "What about you Naruto? Are you ok?"

He stared at me stiffly for a few moments, not seeming to quite get the question "Sakura-chan" he said smiling "I didn't know you cared"

I threw a flea-bitten cushion at him. Sometimes this guy joked around a little too much.

An enthusiastic knock on the door interrupted the angry silence.

Naruto got up quickly, grumbling something about 'perfect timing'

"Hello Naruto" came the sound of a noisy stranger "A girl in the hallway gave me her number! It wasn't her real number but it's still progress! So I thought I'd come over here with a few drinks to celebrate!" his unlawfully cheerful voice shouted, as he sounded unjustifiably happy.

"What, really? That's great Lee!" Naruto surprised me as he replied with rivalling enthusiasm "You really are making progress" he said, somehow managing to sound sincere without being patronising.

"So what about you Naruto? How are you and-" but I didn't hear anymore, making me guess that Naruto had put his hand over his friends mouth.

"Sorry Lee" he said, after a moment of quiet "but you can't come over right now, I have someone else with me"

"Well if it's Shikamaru or Negi then they can just join in, I bought plenty of booze with me"

Hearing the word 'booze' coming out of this Lee person's mouth forced be to stifle a giggle, the word didn't quite seem to fit with the person's overall voice and attitude.

"I just don't think that she'd want a drink with you" he whispered, unfortunately still loud enough for me to hear "she seems more like a fancy wine drinker than a person who'd like beer"

"Um actually" I said, as I clambered over the sofa so that I could speak to them face to face "today I really wouldn't mind jus drinkin some booze" I smiled, surprising Naruto, as I dropped my phoney accent at the end of the sentence.

His friend, however, seemed delighted too see me. His bulbous eyes shining brightly as he took a hold of my hand "It is a pleasure to meet you Sakura Haruno" he said; the mention of the surname Haruno, causing me flinch, "My name is Rock Lee" he grinned, with a creepy wink.

"Um, hi…" my eyes glancing briefly at the two six packs of beers in his hand.

Naruto, seeming to have realised that I didn't care whether this Lee guy was here or not, reluctantly stepped aside so that his friend could come through "but you cant stay for long"

Lee promptly hopped over the couch, turned on the TV to an old re-run of Buffy, and cracked open a can of beer.

Naruto whispered next to me, almost seeming to be pleading with me "You know he doesn't have to stay, I can kick him out if you want me too"

"No way" I replied briskly, my eyes focused on the can in Lee's hand, "This guy looks like he could be fun" I giggled, abandoning Naruto to take a seat next to Lee.

"So Lee, what do you do for a living?" I asked as I forced a smile.

Lee tossed me a can of beer before even starting, "I work for the wonderful Gai Sensei down at the dojo near the supermarket"

"Sensei?" I wondered allowed.

"Oh, he's the brilliant Shishou of the dojo" he announced proudly, not seeming to understand that I was questioning is use of Japanese.

"So are you going to start calling me Sakura-chan too?" I whispered, so that the sulking Naruto, who was silently sipping some beer on a beanie bag on the floor, couldn't hear me.

"Why would I do that Sakura-chan?" he asked, grinning to himself; seeming to think he'd made a great joke.

"No reason" I muttered, deciding to drop the subject as I focused my eyes on the small TV screen.

"So how long have you two known each other?" I asked as I watched Buffy turn another vampire into dust.

"About three weeks, right Naruto?" he asked, glancing at Naruto.

"Yeah, three weeks" he replied gruffly, before going back to stare at the TV.

"That's not very long," I frowned; as I thought about how easily the two had been talking to one another earlier.

"Yeah but I've known you for even less than that Sakura-chan" his usual jovial tone, finally present again in his voice.

"I guess we have," I contemplated as I realised it had been a lot shorter than I'd thought.

For a while we just watched the hot slayer in action; it was one of the later seasons, meaning that the gorgeous Angel was no where to be seen.

"Hey guys, when do you think the show first started going downhill? Because I think it was around the time Angel left the show"

Naruto looked at me with a funny expression on his face but didn't venture to join the conversation.

"What up with him?" I asked, with a giggle.

"He probably thinks you don't like blonds now" Lee joked, "he was probably hoping you were more the Spike type" he laughed, making me join in with him in a fit of giggles.

"Nooo waaay" I squealed. "He was probably just angry that I was mean to the show, like he was with his Raaamen" I joked, putting a friendly arm over Lee's shoulder as the ending credits began to roll.

Naruto just continued to watch the TV; though he could probably hear every word we were saying.

"No, I'm right Sakura-chan, his favourite character is-" but I didn't get to hear the name of Naruto's favourite character because Naruto had somehow managed to silence his talkative friend with a death glare.

Pulling myself off of the sofa, I crawled onto the beanie bag to sit next to Naruto.

"So who is your favourite character Naruto?" I grinned as I watched him squirm.

"No one, Sakura-chan, I like them all"

"Come on, you must have a favourite!" I demanded playfully.

"I don't" he insisted, though he looked slightly flustered.

"Come on; is it the spunky Buffy or the sexy faith?" I asked with a giggle, grabbing a hold of his hands so that he'd give me some attention- while in the very depths of my mind I vaguely wondered if I could possibly be a little drunk.

"Sakura-chan, I don't like either of them, ok?" he said, the expression on his face telling me that he really wished his hands were free for a face palm or whatever you call it.

"That can't be right" I muttered as I turned to Lee for confirmation "You wouldn't lie to me, would you Lee?"

"Of course not Sakura-chan, I could never lie to a pretty girl like you" he said, with a thumbs up and a wink.

He still refused to say anything, but I could see, from the small smile that was tugging at his face, that he was starting to give in to me.

"Come on Naruto!" I pleaded, "I'll tell you who my favourite is if you tell me yours"

"But you already told me who your favourite was!" he exclaimed. "What would be the point in that?"

"Because then you could find out what kind of guys I like" I whispered, leaning in closer to his face.

"Ok Sakura, I you can stop messing with me now" he said nervously as he tried to pull away from me; "the jokes gone far enough, hasn't it Sakura-chan?"

"Come on Na-ru-to, just because I like the cool, brooding type like Sasuke, doesn't mean I don't like to indulge in the fiery, sexy, expressive type every once in a while" I smiled widely, attempting to drape my arms over him but failing because of his lack of compliance.

"Sakura-chan, who is this Sasuke guy?" he asked, his eyes suddenly fierce.

"He's my husband" I stated simply, wondering what his problem was.

"Um, okay Sakura-chan" he murmured soothingly in a tone that said he didn't believe me. "Right, well I think it's about time that I take you home now Sakura-chan"

I looked around the room, searching for Lee "But what about Lee?"

Naruto helped me get back up on the my feet "He left a while back, he has work tomorrow so he had to go and I think you should goo too"

"Do I have too Naruto? I don't like it at home when Sasuke's not around" I complained childishly.

"You know _your_ Sasuke, probably wouldn't like this Sakura" Naruto said seriously as we sat down on the floor together, leaning against the wall.

"Screw Sasuke" I muttered angrily, again attempting to lean on Naruto, who pushed me off of himself.

He yawned before glancing at me again "You'd probably feel differently if you weren't so drunk"

"I don't agree" I said; anger resurfacing from earlier that day. "Besides, I'm not drunk"

"You so are" he grinned, punching my arm playfully.

"Maybe just a little bit" I admitted, wondering if maybe that was the reason my head felt so misty. I guess Tsunade was right... I really can't handle alcohol.

"Sakura… I really can't let you stay here" he muttered softly; the voice of reason.

I pulled my knees into myself and didn't say anything; thoughts of Tsunade had sent my head reeling again.

Naruto then got up, without warning, heading into his own room-maybe that means I can stay?

But he came back only a few moments later, a blanket in hand, "here you go" he said, handing it to me, before sitting down next to me again.

"About the bastard-" but he interrupted me before I could explain.

"Maybe we should wait till the morning, hey Sakura-chan?" he said, his smile reassuring me, "You wouldn't want to say anything you don't want to, right?"

I wondered about that, nothing that I'd said tonight has been too bad, right? As I thought about this I realised that my brain was fogging over as I began to tire.

It can't be that late? Can it? I asked myself as I watched the clock on the wall tick to 1am. Leaning on Naruto's shoulder, I fell asleep for a short time; only to wake up later to vomit up my stupidity.

It was barely light when I woke up again, finding, to my surprise, that I was strangling myself with Naruto's bed covers. He must have carried me there while I was sleeping.

In a way I sort of felt dignified, pulling myself out of the bed with clothes on that still smelt like vomit-I don't think I've ever found myself leaving a guys bed fully clothed before- I guess that say a lot about me, doesn't it? I guess I was lucky it had been Naruto and not someone like Lee.

Tired, and with a head hurting way more than it should have been for a few cans of beer, I stumbled out of the bedroom; nearly killing myself as I manoeuvred around a pile of debris.

I could see Naruto sleeping on the sofa, drool hanging out of the corner of his mouth; an alarm, thrown haphazardly, on the floor, telling me he'd be waking up in twenty minutes.

Should I wait for him to wake up so I can thank him? Or should I leave now to save any awkward moments for later?

In the end my aching head decided for me, calling for me to chicken out.

The details of what I'd said to Naruto last night were hazy but I'm sure I mentioned something about Sasuke, among other things that are too stupid to even think about.

Grabbing my handbag, that had been discarded on the floor, I headed to the bathroom; hoping to be able to sort out my appearance-so as not to be embarrassed on the streets.

After doing he best I could, I took a look at my mobile. There were are few annoying messages from Ino (as always) as well as two missed calls and a text from Sasuke…

**They're letting me off early, I hope you didn't worry.**

**I'll be back by 10am.**

The message was just like Sasuke, straight to the point, and, as always, he'd somehow managed to make me feel like the worst person on earth.

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_A/N: Well that was probably the longest chapter I've ever written and one of the worst as well… So, yay for broken records? Anyway sorry for taking so long with this chapter, and yeah, everyone was madly OC in this chapter ^^_

_If you haven't gotten bored with this yet then please comment if you have the time-I'd really appreciate it. _

_P.S I blame the weirdness of the chapter on the movie Crash, which motivated me to get working on this again (as well as bloody Monday for distraction)_


	5. The hug

As I stepped into the house I noticed that there were already a pair of shoes aligned neatly by the door. A man's shoes.

"Sasuke?" I wondered as I opened the living room door.

"Hello Sakura" he murmured, briefly looking up, from the papers that he'd spread out on the coffee table, to greet me.

I sat down on the couch, next to him, waiting for him to finish organising his papers.

"So," I said, once he'd finished "How was your trip?" I asked, as usual doing my best to be cheerful.

"It was okay, despite the fact Itachi was there" He said, a frown marring his beautiful features, at the mention of his brother.

"What about you Sakura?" he asked, glancing at my crumpled up clothes and messy hair.

He leaned in as though he were about to kiss me, I almost responded, though I realised just in time that my breath probably stank of alcohol.

"Things have been good," I smiled, pulling away from him, "I haven't been doing much, just spending time with a friend"

"Ino called again," he said suddenly, his eyes boring into me.

I looked away.

"She's going to be in town next week, I told her I'd be away but that she could stay here if she wanted"

I looked up at Sasuke sharply; suddenly angry "Did she say she wanted to stay here?" I asked, cautiously.

"Yes."

I looked away again, and then stood up.

"I'm going to get changed," I said "Will you be going to work later?" I asked softly.

"I need to be out of by 12." He said, glancing at me hungrily.

"Then I'll see you in the bedroom" I muttered.

***

After Sasuke was gone, I phoned Naruto; I felt bad that I'd left without so much as a goodbye.

The dial tone rang, 1…2… "Hey Sakura-chan, is that you?" I was surprised to say that least, that he knew it was me.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"I just had this feeling" he said, with what I knew was a cheeky grin on his face.

"So you're psychic then?" I laughed.

"Only when it's you calling" I smiled at that; not caring that it was cheesy.

"So what are you doing now Naruto? Are you at work?"

"Yeah actually…" he said, the cheeriness now lost from his voice "I just dropped off someone called Sasuke Uchiha; I picked him up from your very doorstep…" he sounded unsure, making me realise that he felt uncomfortable reporting this.

"When are you off work?" I asked, not feeling up to explaining it over the phone.

"Now, I just dropped my last person off" he said, "Do you want to meet up at the park?"

I thought about it but decided against it, there would be people at the park.

"How about your place Naruto? Or is that too much to ask?" I said, biting my lip anxiously as I waited for him to say no.

"Sure" he said and I could hear his smile in his voice again "I don't mind"

What don't you mind? I almost muttered but instead I said, "Thanks Naruto"

"No, problem. I'll see you when you get here." He hung up and for a moment I stood breathless.

I felt happy and scared.

I just didn't know why.

***

Naruto's flat was still as much of a mess as it had been in the morning, maybe even more so, but I was glad to be there all the same. Even if memories of the night before made me want to blush with shame.

"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked. "I have ramen." I looked around at all the empty ramen bowls scattered across the floor, wrinkling my nose.

"Sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt"

A few minutes later we were sitting on the floor, across from one another, both of us with ready made ramen at hand.

"Naruto…" I said as I looked around at his small apartment "I know I've already said this but your place is a mess"

"I know, its pretty bad" he laughed "If you want you can clean in up for me"

I looked around again, for a moment feeling almost tempted, "As if" I snorted.

Again, he smiled "Well it was worth a try, wasn't it?" he asked, teasing me.

He seemed so carefree and relaxed, I felt guilty that I would eventually have to break the spell.

"Naruto, about the being married thing, I'm sorry I didn't say anything." I waited for him to say something… "Its just that I was feeling lonely and I thought that as I guy you'd probably be more interested in hanging out if you thought I was single…" I continued, trying to explain myself as best as I could. But from his expression it seemed as though all my excuses were falling flat.

"I'm really sorry…"

"You're amazing Sakura" he said, though he didn't sound sarcastic in the slightest. "How is it that you're married but still lonely?" he asked, grabbing one of my hands in sympathy.

It was strange, he wasn't angry; he wasn't outraged as I'm sure most normal people would be as I would be. He just… understood. And it was then that I understood that I didn't have to say anymore and that maybe he didn't want me to.

"Naruto," I asked, a sudden thought occurring to me in the silence, "How old are you?"

"19…" he said his hands slipping from my own as he took in my astonishment. "Why? How old are you?"

Reluctantly, I told him, "I'm 24"

He whistled in disbelief.

"You're not joking with me are you Sakura-chan, I mean I knew you were older than me but not that much older…"

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked crossly, "I'm only 5 years older than you"

"I'm saying you look younger than that Sakura-chan, it was _supposed_ to be a compliment"

"Hmm, I guess" I said, deciding not to broach the subject any further.

"Sakura, how old were you when you got married?"

His questioned shocked me and for a moment I struggled to find the answer. I was surprised; I'd thought he wasn't interested in the subject.

"I was 22, when we got married…" suddenly I felt like I was dealing with an impatient child.

"That's two years…" he muttered and again I could see the growing urge to ask me a question burning in his eyes. And for some reason I simply knew, without even knowing it, that it wouldn't be something I'd want to answer.

I waited but he didn't ask.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" he asked as I continued to wait in anticipation.

"Nothing" I smiled nervously, upon realising, with appreciation, that he'd understood that it wasn't right to ask the question. Whatever it was.

I stood up then, realising it was time for me to go; I'd imposed on Naruto for long enough.

He stood up with me, his carefree smile an ever present feature on his face.

"I guess you're tired of the mess aren't you?" he said, his eyes darting quickly to a pile of clothes left by his bedroom door.

"Naruto about what you did yesterday, I really appreciate it. You putting up with me… I know we don't know each other that well and I-" I stopped when he hugged me; too shocked by the unexpected move.

He held onto me for a few moments, his arms warm and encompassing; and then I felt it again. The feeling I'd felt when I'd kissed him on the cheek, so absentmindedly, all that time ago.

"Don't mention it" He said, releasing me, his lack of closeness making me feel just a little bit emptier inside. "I'll see you soon, right Sakura-chan?"

"Of course" I replied, a strange feeling of sureness overwhelming me, "It's a promise"

"Then I'll hold you to it"

***

"How's your day been Sakura? Busy?" Sasuke asked, waking me up from a daydream; he sat next to me on the sofa.

"I went and saw a friend of mine but otherwise I haven't really done much" I said distractedly, still unable to forget the feeling of Naruto's comforting embrace.

"What about you? Make any progress at the office?"

"A little, but Sakura who's this friend of yours?" he asked, for the first time in a long time, sounding slightly concerned.

"Just someone I met in the park a while ago. This guy called Naruto."

"Really, what's the guy like?" he asked.

"He's young, a sort of cab driver, and very energetic" I said slowly as I tried to figure out what to say.

"He's a cab driver?" he asked with a cold smile.

"Yeah, he is. " I said wearily, already sensing the sneer behind Sasuke's voice.

"Right" he said, in a tone that told me he no longer thought the subject worthy of his attention.

Instead he turned his attention to me; his hands reaching for waist as he kissed me. I held the kiss for a second but stopped him before he decided to go any further.

"Sasuke, you haven't told me when you're next leaving yet…"

"I'll be leaving 3 days from now" he said smoothly before infolding me in his arms again, his arms seeming to be placed awkwardly and disjointedly around my own. Struggling to sit still in my discomfort, I finally managed to relax; using the soft memory of Naruto's brief embrace.

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**It feels like forever sine I last wrote anything on this so…Um sorry? Anyway, it has been a while so I hope I haven't messed up the flow of the story or anything and if I have then I'm really sorry.**

**Review, please. Again I'm sorry for the long absence.**


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